Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Wow, I was not expecting this to be good. I actually thought this was pretty decent, I was very surprised.
There’s moments of some really solid guitar in this album and then some moments of chaos so I’m torn. I do like Kings of Leon’s later stuff a lot better.
Voice doesn't do it for me but couple of good tracks
Decent album but nothing special
This is more raw and adventurous than I was expecting, since the only place I've ever heard them was Indie88. My co-judge likened the lead singer to Jonathon Richmond. He's both an asset and a liability, IMO.
This is a Kings Of Leon record alright. They have never done much for me other than Your Sex Is On Fire, and this album so far is not doing much to change that. Their rock and roll is fine, but the lead singer sounds like his mouth is full of mothballs. What a bland time.
This was just ok. All the songs kind of sound the same and there is little variety. Also I can't stand singers that mumble the whole god damn time and really takes away from the album. He's mumbling now on a studio album... imagine hearing him in concert. 5/10.
Has an interesting folky/southern twang to what I expected to be a more generic rock album. Seems like they found some success with commercial alternative rock and ran with it, which is the Kings of Leon that I know. Pretty solid album. Not quite what I was expecting, but it is good.
I didn't realize Kings of Leon were 3 brothers and a cousin. Interesting. Tim let's do it. The singers voice is kinda annoying. I like Taper Jean Girl and feel like I've definitely heard it before. Honestly not much else doing it for me on this record but I do enjoy some of the instrumentals a bunch.
this dudes voice lol
Not quite my jam, not a fan of the vocals. 2.75/5
Legal
Went in expecting to hate this but it's very listenable. Not something I'm going to spin on the regular, but can understand their appeal a bit more now
Very generic. Not my tastes so I personally didn't enjoy it. I see the appeal though. 6/10
I like Kings of Leon but a whole album starts to feel quite the same. 3*
This album was okay. The more I listened the less I found to really like.
I don't know this band but there is something about the name Kings of Leon that I find a little off-putting. I found the record at turns super-catchy-fun-rockabilly and then annoying. More fun than not, though.
I like the Kings of Leon and listened to their more popular later album when it came out. This one had some good spots, although there was something just slightly off about it for me. Not terrible, but not terribly great either.
decent rock album, not too notable to me.
Like the other Kings of Leon album, I didn't enjoy the vocals. Also it was listenable to I guess? Still thought it was pretty meh. 2.5/5
Die stem... soms geweldig, soms echt irritant. Verder tof, maar ik heb mijn hart al verloren aan een ander plaatje van ze en dit is zo'n bandje waarvan je maar ruimte hebt voor 1.
Bland
Average garage rock album with quite simple music and a singer whose voice distracts a lot from the music itself.
Getting this album I thought, oh this must be the album with that Sex on Fire song and that other huge hit they had. Imagine my surprise when I didn't recognize any of the tracks and learned this came before that. I actually prefer the sound of this to their later more commercial stuff. However the singers voice really grated me on a couple of tracks
Pas pire. J'ai aimé et c'est pas trop intense pour une enre de pop punk .. 3
Somehow a hard album to rate.... I kind of like it but after a 2nd listen it felt pretty bland with get repetitive instrumentals.... 2.5/5 leaning towards 3
Ok. Good band.
It’s solid but nothing special, I definitely prefer the first album 3/5
I really enjoyed this!! I didn't enjoy the first KOL album which I am told is when they were best (at the beginning), I thought I'd find this just as boring but it was much more catchy and interesting. I think if I'd found this when it came out I would have more memories attached and nostalgia and really love this now. However, now here we are in 2023 and I know KOL got shit so I'm not about to invest time into getting into it.
This is not as bad as I was expecting it to be. I am not sure what I thought this band was, but I didn't think they had a pseudo post-punk/garage revival sound. Seems like they are just a Poor Man's version of The Strokes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This was fine.
Definitely a band I'd enjoy live but not the sorta thing I wanna listen on my own much. I do like the rougher vocals on this early Kings of Leon album compared to "Sex is on Fire" era. Thing still feel a bit too indie-rock for me, that meaning it's a bit formulaic and the songs are just kinda there, nothing is really memorable here.
I love the voice and the rock is enjoyable, but nothing exceptional.
Decent southern rock album that personally could have done without some of the more raw signing
Pop un tanto insustancial y sin demasiado ritmo. Voz distintita, pero le falta algo de fuerza y energía al disco. Aun así, se escucha bien
When the right thing is done almost correctly, this results: Soulless but quality songs. It's not a bad album, but totally forgettable.
Great drums on Soft and Bucket. Musically this is superior. I get the complaint about the vocals but overall it holds up.
I was mildly impressed by the diversity of sound, but when the signature Kings of Leon sound is present, it sours a bit for me.
I like some of this band’s stuff. I was rooting for this album, and it had its moments.
00’er pop rock, lidt skinger stemme, men ellers ok
Not as good as I expected
It’s a great sound and when they write a tune it works. When they don’t it sort of drags.
Ok I suppose, but nothing particularly exciting. I kept thinking how Sex On Fire or Use Somebody would liven things up, and when it ended Spitting Games by Snow Patrol came on next and instantly perked things up. Very 2000s album anyway.
That was harder than I expected. Much less country jangly and engaging; much more gnarly and abrasive - in a good way, that is.
Not sure how I feel about this one. It’s definitely interesting, but need to listen again. For now it’s 3 stars.
j'ai moyennement aimé
On the basis of only having heard this album by KOL, I think that a "best of" compilation would be a great album to have. This album has some good moments and a handful of great ones, but there is also - for a shortish album - too much filler.
Why is this on here?
I liked KOL 20 years ago but this hasn’t aged well or my palette has changed. I have fond memories of playing “The Bucket” in a band with a dead mate so that gave it an extra star for nostalgia. Noisy indie try hards with a marmite singer. Didn’t care for it.
I don’t know I just kind of feel like everything that these guys have to say to us they also say on the other album about the sex being on fire. Could we not have just picked one of them to include
I was expecting to like this a lot more. This album is grungier than their later hits.
Pretty unremarkable. Kings of Leon were always in a limbo between indie and generic radio rock, without ever succeeding in either. That is, until they eventually did. But here they hadn't yet. Key tracks: The Bucket
I think I have fairly broad tastes in terms of lyrical tone and style, but damn, I hate this singer's voice. Mid 00s sludge. Some of it is okay, some is pretty bad. Nothing outstanding about these guys. So many better and more interesting bands around. That they have two albums (so far) on the list is a joke.
Not that good
Dit is niet hun hitalbum en daar zijn redenen voor. Drammerig, immatuur probeersel van een band die later anderhalve hit gaat scoren en daardoor enkel voer voor die-hard ‘well actually’ fans.
I was not excited to listen to this today. Im not hating it. His voice gets grating after a while. Its very repetitive, and I get bored by it. For some reason, dont ask me why, but when I hear this band, I think of Shia LeBeouf.
Man nepatinka nei tekstas, nei kaip kraipo balsą.
This band is irritating and unnecessary.
I’m writing this a few days after listening, and I’m struggling to remember anything of note from this unremarkable collection of songs. They were at least kind enough to keep it concise at 37 minutes.
⭐⭐- Lyssnade en hel del på debuten när den kom och kommer ihåg att jag gillade den en hel del. Sen svalnade mitt intresse för Kings of leon, och när jag lyssnar på detta albumet så kanske det får sin förklaring. Tycker albumet är mediokert och fattar inte vad det gör på listan. Det är inget som sticker ut. Inget som liknar något hit, inget som engagerar, The Bucket är det spår som kommer närmast. Sen att de har tre! album med på listan, lika många som t.ex Black Sabbath är bara märkligt. Får bitvis lite Stroke vibbar, fast sämre. Kommer inte lyssna på detta album igen så det blir en svag 2a. Bäst är The Bucket. Bäst är The Bucket.
A very Americana forward alt-rock, I could see why it was a success in the UK where it's a more exotic sound. Seems a little middle-of-the-road to me, very listenable but nothing to keep you there. Those are singles? It just blends with the record. So after several listens, replays don't add much value for me and the songs don't become sticky. I hope there's other Kings of Leon albums that deserve a listen, because this wasn't it. 2.4/5
look, kings of leon
I kind of hated this. 00s rock band aping 60/70s rock asthetics. I hate the inflection of the singing on this, he doesn't sound like that on other albums.
Ok but not brilliant! Listenable.
Damn... There's a lot of good things about this album. Arrangements, structures, songwriting is quite inspired... But somehow voice and the vibe ruins it for me, I almost feel bad for rating it so low
All the mediocrity of Kings of Leon with none of the occasional hits... easily the worst of the three on this list. Certainly not a good enough band to warrant three.
A lot of the songs sounded similar or passed me by but I can see why people would like them, just not for me.
At this early stage in their career, lead singer trying too hard to sound like Chili Peppers. Occasional glimpses of some good ideas. But wrapped in a lot of forgettable dross. Thankful it was a short album. They got better.
Just like getting another 70s blues rock album with an annoying singer. Until Milk, which has some synth on it and shows up how bad his voice is. Then Soft and Velvet Snow sounds like decent 2000s indie but still with that voice. The Bucket is the best on here - a really good hook and a tune that doesn't stretch beyond what he can sing. I like that.
I expected a lot more from this album, but it was pretty inferior. Interestingly, I got this a day after I had another of their American rock contemporaries - the D album from White Denim (though I had never heard of them before). Both albums were reasonably early in their respective careers, but if you listen to James Petralli's voice on the White Denim record (btw, go try Street Joy or Is and Is and Is), it's really robust. Meanwhile, here, Caleb Followill's voice lacks just about anything you could want from a front man. I mean, he eventually gets there. If you listen to Sex on Fire, Use Somebody, or some others from a few years into Kings of Leon's career, Followill sounds great. He has a ton of energy and a lot of grit/rasp and emotion . . . all of which he completely lacks on this record. Yeah, the band is decent (though interestingly, they too pale compared to White Denim), but it's not nearly enough to overcome the lack of anything in the vocals. It's not unlistenable, but it's close and, frankly, a strange choice for this series. They have much better work later on.
The band is tight and their sound is distinct. Their songs are lame and the singer sounds the same on every track.
1001 total picks, and this band makes it twice? Twice!? Vocals are fascinating, but come on!
Not for me
Some ok songs, but a terrible voice.
I prefer to hear the lyrics and unfortunately most of the lyrics were in cursive. Season: Late Summer Favorite Song: The Bucket
Six hundred and twenty two albums down, and I was genuinely struggling to remember if I’d heard Kings of Leon before. Turns out that I’ve already listened to two of them and this is the third. I wasn’t overly impressed before, but would this be three times a charm? Sadly, no. It’s almost aggressively bland, middle of the road early 2000’s indie rock, with a couple of jarring c-bombs dropped into the lyrics as if to say “Hey, look at us - we’re *edgy*!”. Sorry guys, it’s not working. It might impress someone DJing on Six Music in the coveted Tuesday 2am slot but it doesn’t do it for me. I checked my 2011 edition of the 1001 Albums and at least the editor Robert Dimery has demoted all three of the Kings of Leon albums from the book, showing that their earlier inclusion was probably a bit optimistic as to their long term staying power. Oh dear, how sad, never mind-tastic!
the sound of a band that's clearly studied the classics (along with a few of its contemporaries), but can't quite figure out how to distinguish themselves from their influences. if you're looking for a band that's somehow even more anachronistic than The Black Crowes were in their heyday, look no further than Kings of Leon. the songs are perfunctory at best, moving through tried-and-true chord progressions (mostly involving the I, IV and V) with the same crunchy guitar tones you've already heard on a million other garage rock songs. the soft-loud dynamic shifts, the arpeggiating basslines, even the drumming patterns all feel humdrum and predictable; and that's all before you can even think about Caleb Followill's lead singing, some of the most obnoxious in the entire canon of rock music. I don't mind that he can't enunciate worth a damn, but could he at least find a more pleasing timbre to do it with than this overdone snarl? further points deducted for the many points where Kings of Leon really want to be The Strokes. were critics so desperate for an alternative to nu metal that they needed to tout Aha Shake Heartbreak as being anywhere near the level of Is This It, or even Room on Fire? strong 3/10.
I never cared for this band, but most of my distaste came for when they blew up with the proceeding album. I always felt indifferent when the videos for "Four Kicks" and "The Bucket" would pop up on Kerrang back in the day. The album shifts between a bluesy southern rock sound to a more meat and potatoes garage rock style that was popular at the time. They don't do any of these genres particularly well and the result is an uninteresting record brought down even further by an intolerable frontman with a one-note voice. On "Milk", the instrumentation is stripped right back and you are left with the vocalist's wails right at the front of the mix and it doesn't make for a pleasant experience. This was most enjoyable when they stick to the garage rock sound, but they don't do anything interesting with it and their playing lack the urgency that better garage bands had. I can't say I'm looking forward to hearing the other two albums that these guys have on the list.
Will give it another listen and perhaps edits this rating and review but on first listen, not for me. Feels incomplete, very basic guitar riffs that just aren't interesting, not jiving with the dude voice either.
Eh
Not bad band with an irritating voice that I couldn't get used to.
There are some ok songwriting and stylistic decisions but this still strays too much into that 2000s indie sound that I have very little interest in. Obviously it shouldn't be taken as gospel but one of the genres for this album on Wikipedia is stoner rock. Where? If there actually was some stoner rock here I probably would have been kinder. The vocals are also pretty annoying. Especially on Milk, wow please shut up It's not really bad, but I never want to listen again. The pinnacle of fine. 2.5 Highlights: Soft
All of the top songs I know are not on this album. Not that I want to hear those more, they have been burned out from every radio play. This album highlighted his voice, which I don't care for.
Kings of Leon Bit of a surprise this one. Musically really tight and quite left field. Almost some echoes of UK post punk in the inventive bass lines and tight drums. But bloody hell, the lyrics are awful. Think dribbling, adolescent, sex obsessed teenager and you're right there! Best Track - Slow night, so long. Shades of Joy Division in this one - which I wasn't expecting! Worst Track - Soft. What a horrible misogynistic mess of a song. 5/10 - all for music.
2/5 I can't stand his voice
This is music for NPCs and coworkers who are trying to find an edgy streak
I’m not in love with this album. I’ve listened to songs by Kings of Leon before and enjoyed them, but this collection didn’t do a whole lot for me. The lead singer needs to work on enunciation on a few of the songs as it was extremely difficult to understand the words through his jumbled mumbling. I did like the instrumentals and think they brought value to the album. Overall this was a one and done for me.
The singer really bothers me. Sounds like a developmentally challenged middleschooler doing an impression of a delta blues singer while sitting on the toilet trying to drop a stubborn duce. The band is okay though, so it's not all bad.
can't understand youuuuuu
Le band est pas pire mais y'en a un qui ferme jamais sa yeule. La prod est très mid, ça aide pas. Rien de ben mémorable, un long 37 minutes. 2.49 étoiles parce que j'ai donné 3 étoiles à des albums pas mal meilleurs que ça. On va-tu avoir droit à du Spoon un moment donné?
Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004) On Day 136, the streak came to a halt with a project that just wasn't it. There was a major disconnect between the singer and the production that made the whole experience a struggle. The vocal performance was particularly rough, it felt disjointed to the point where the lyrics were unintelligible, leading to a total lack of immersion. I wasn't a fan of the genre execution here; it felt like it was trying for a garage vibe but missed the mark. Aside from a few moments, it lacked the cohesion I’ve enjoyed in previous listens. It’s a 2/5, and honestly, a bit of a relief to be moving on from this one.
I did appreciate the economy.
Not as bad as I was expecting after Only by the night Will I listen to again: 0%
I made it as far as "The Bucket" while listening, and then I threw the whole thing in the bucket. The first thing that struck me was the singer's voice—and it really isn't good. The music is rather boring, and the songs seem to repeat themselves endlessly. The whole thing is just too tedious for me, though I suppose there's a lid for every pot. Why critics find this particular record so outstanding, however, completely baffles me. So, for me, it’s a maximum of two stars—or more likely 1.5. "Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heart": an absolutely superfluous album.
I thought this album had a chance right away, but the longer it went on the more it fell off for me. Did not enjoy it much at all. Pretty ok at best.
Album is a product of its time. 3 stars generally, minus 1 for being on a list like this (because I really did not have to listen to this to have my life changed)
I have personal reason for disliking Kings of Leon, and yet I still gave "Only By The Night" 4 stars so I think it's safe to say I reviewed without too much bias. There's absolutely no need to have any more KoL on this list, this one is undeniably mediocre.
the voice got real annoying after five songs
Would have been a 3 but Day Old Blues came on and really annoyed me.
I’m sorry but this is awful. It wasn’t great back then and it’s aged badly as well. 1.5
Hillbilly shite
I remember loving this album when it was first released, but listening back now it's hard to remember... Why... Exactly
Did not take to this ar all. Uninspiring and not helped by poor vocals.
Scruffy garage rock and Southern indie built on gritty guitars, tight drums, driving bass, and strained, raspy vocals barrels forward with restless urgency. Listening feels like stumbling through a humid, neon-lit night where everything blurs into sweat, noise, and repetition. The result is energetic and immediate, while its sameness wears thin.
This felt a bit thin? Not sure why it might’ve been the vocals but most songs felt a bit one note in a literal sense. Rememo a definite fave but nothing else really stood out.
I really could've gone without listening to this before I died
I confess i'm not a Kings of Leon fan. Their debut album isn't bad. To be honest "Red Morning Light" is a kick ass song. Aha Shake Heartbreak is their 2nd album. So I thought I gave it a listen. The short tracks are ok/good. But the longer tracks are so bloody boring. I gave them a try but skipped them after like a minute. So 2 stars for the shorter ones on the album.
Solid alt-rock. But nothing really jumped out to me. I only know a handful of Kings of Leon songs and they all had more drive behind them than this entire album. Where is the late night scream it in the bar songs? The Bucket
A couple of standouts on here. The band itself is in point and there's a lot of catchiness to be had there, but wow I swear he was going out of his way to make his vocal delivery as annoying as possible on alot of these tracks. I don't mind a wackier vocalist, but his voice and the instrumentals just don't lend themselves to that style at all
Two good songs and a lot of meh.
voice kind of annoying as hell, instrumental uninspired.
Kings of Leon does have some great songs, but none of them are on this album. Just listen to Only By the Night instead and save yourself.
Ugh, this mid-2000s indie rock. Groooossss. 2/5
Who am I to say if this is good or not. I’m not a musician. I’m not in college. I don’t wear skinny jeans. This sucks
nah
We're in a slump era with these picks a bit. I do like how in Day Old Blues his voice wobbles like hes kinda crying. thats good
3/10
I really liked Kings of Leon's debut album, Youth and Young Manhood, it was punchy and fun - a little like a southern Strokes. However, Kings of Leon ditched their potential and turned into a wanky stadium rock band. Aha Shake Heartbreak doesn't contain anything as awful as Sex on Fire, but it clearly is well down the road to that shite and felt like a very long album considering it's less than 40 minute run time. Bits of it are redeemable, which is why I'm giving it a 2, but it's not good at all.
Hoewel dit cijfer doet vermoeden dat ik een Kings of Leon-hater ben, is dat niet het geval. En hoewel we met vrienden vaak gelachen hebben dat ze wéér headliner waren op een festival, hebben de albums uit die tijd toch een fijne nostalgische waarde voor mij. Dit veel rustigere album, dat nog meer de nadruk legt op de knijperige zang, doet het alleen voor mij niet.
Why why why why why Why why why why why why why Why why why why why
This album sounds like it was written and played by frat boys who were given some studio time and this was the result of it. Very basic songs that don't work up to anything and have little to say. I guess that they are about the experiences of young men coming of age in the south but the band doesn't do much of note and the less said about the singing the better. Can't believe there were three Kings of Leon albums on this list while so many artists have none.
I find it really funny that the compilers of this list thought KOL was the absolute shit and would be some kind of legacy act. This is really dull. The Bucket is pretty good, the rest is either forgettable or bad. Caleb Followill's vocals on this are just rough, sometimes I don't mind them but on this release, for whatever reason he just has awful mannerisms on like every song. Spit the marbles out for the love of god man. In no way does there need to be 3 Kings of Leon albums on this, but Mechanical Bull would be a much more solid 3rd choice, this is a clear sophomore slump
Mediocre landfill.
Cishet and boring Rainbow Kitten Surprise isn't real, it can't hurt you!! Kings of Leon:
this dude's vocal fry makes this hard to listen to. it's like he's whining
2 stars, both for the album cover and its simplicity (just the photograph, as the font choice is very pretentious). The singer has such an annoying voice. It sounds strained and whiny, like he’s permanently stuck between trying to be gritty and completely losing control, which just makes every song feel more irritating than powerful. Yuck.
I really don’t think that this album belongs in the book. The music is fine, but why not just have one album in the book? Three albums by Kings of Leon are at least two too many
This is like Pixies if they were a shitty millennial band that are the "rockiest" music played in southern U.S radio stations
A third Kings of Leon album, and I’m not sure why this was here. I rated their debut album 1, and their fourth album 4. I don’t think that this was as much of a slog as their debut album, but I can’t stop feeling like Aha Shake Heartbreak was whiny and uninteresting. Several songs they just sounded so bored, especially in “Day Old Blues” when they kept repeating the title over and over again. I don’t even know if Kings of Leon enjoyed creating this album, because it sure doesn’t feel like anything sparked joy. The final song was better and reminded me of the sound they would find in a few years, but jeez.
What is there to say about Kings of Leon that hasn't been said on the other two albums they have on this project? This definitely isn't a band that needed a multiple album presence on this project, and yet here we are at number three. They're fine -- even good, at times, and they do have their own unique sound. This album was a continuation of that same garage rock bluesy sound. It's fine...but it's nothing that needed three albums of representation on this project. All that said, this was probably my least liked album among their offerings on this project. They have a fair few hits across their discography, but this was a no hits album, and frankly, there weren't any hidden gems, either. The album was just fine. Fine. The operative word of this review is "fine". This would probably land at about a 2.5 for me, but I don't really feel like rounding this up.
the songs feel unfinished. Didn't enjoy the vocals.
I don't hate Kings of Leon (I know they are douches but they also have some catchy songs). However this album was just meh. His voice was mumbly and hard to understand, the lyrics were just subpar and stupid and the guitar and such were just blah. For having such fiery personalities this was very disappointing.
How can rock music be this boring?
A couple of the songs were passable, but this is really an unremarkable album.
Nope, no thanks. Not really sure why. There's nothing offensive here, it has the elements of many things I like, but Kings of Leon have never hit for me.
Not even sure how a Kings of Leon record would make this 1001 list which calls into question why I am even doing this. I've only heard two singles from this band and follow Alt Nation and other music sources pretty carefully but KoL have never been on the radar as a band to pay attention to with a deep repertoire. I found it pretty strange to see this band or even an album of their's on this list. Waste of a slot. AOTY (metacritic site) has this album pegged at about a 6.7/10 by critics and 7.0 by listeners. Then, with all due respect, there are certain singing voices in rock and pop music that just don't work for me. This guy has one of those voices. Never been impressed. It's just basic crappy Southern rock that doesn't soar. The one song that popped for me was The Bucket. Day Old Blues super annoying. Outside of that not much to get excited about. Giving it a 2.
Enh
This album was only 37 minutes long but it felt like an hour. It would be miles better if it was instrumental. I could not finish every song and it's borderline one star, but seeing as I have many more albums to get through, I'll spare it the worst rating I could give it.
I have friends that like these guys. I just don't know ... it was okay, but nothing I have to run out and buy. or see!
What's up with his voice? I don't like.
Nothing like hearing a cool riff and the being blasted with almost unintelligible shouting There are absolutely parts of this that sound cool, that guitar is movin on some songs. It’s just really hard to get past the vocals, the pretty shallow lyrics, and the lack of any real standouts. I really don’t think this one should be on the list, I know Kings of Leon can and will do better. As someone who grew up in the 2000s I’m starting to think the panel was past their prime and just kinda sucked at picking the actually good/influential albums from the last couple decades.
not my cup of milk
Dull
Meh...
I suspect this is another of those indie albums that sounds so familiar because a while bunch of artists who came after them had a similar sound. Who knows, though. Definitely not me, I'm neither Munster nor one of his infamous sons. I won't find out either voluntarily, but perhaps two years from now this project will have skillfully guided me kicking and screaming through this sorry era of pop music.
The A-side has a few electric moments with killer guitar parts, but overall there is little to no cohesion, and the more it goes on the more pointless the whole record feels. On top of that they largely abandon they're traditional anthemic energy for almost a Sublime like ska fusion thing which doesn't work in my opinion. Not very good.
I don’t absolutely hate this. I absolutely nothing this. Just boring. Except for ‘The Bucket’ which is a still pretty great.
Album 108. Aha Shake Heartbreak (https://open.spotify.com/album/3fNRzhnl6WAtghBXEeyaub?si=da3eBe7kT7W3IpucD1PIXg) — Kings of Leon (2004) It's fucking annoying vocals, I really can't listen to his terrible voice. The sounds are solid, especially the guitars. I really like the guitars in it, so energizing for the morning. Overall, meeeeehhhh There were 3 albums of Kings of Leon on the booklist initially, later they were removed. The site's list includes all albums, so I'll have to suffer with their two other albums, blah That's why I don't really like getting into modern music. Some bullshitters can rate something as a great album or something because of hype or just because they're stupid as a log, but apparently years later it's obvious it was a shithorse album. Media must go through timecheck to be praised as decent or shit piece of product. 2/5 No liked songs
This album isn't particularly worse or better than the other two Kings of Leon albums we've listened to, but there's just no dependable reason for their being 3 Kings of Leon albums on this list. There is nothing this one brings to the conversation that the other two hadn't already.
I legitimately didn't know that this band had so many albums before Sex on Fire blew up. It's... Interesting, I guess? The music fits with a lot of what was happening in rock music in the mid 00s, which I generally like, but the vocals and delivery are just pretty off-putting for me. I was starting to enjoy Soft, then I read the lyrics and full body cringed.
King of Leon before they got some mainstream succes. Very middle of the road, and what the hell is that vocal style?
No thank you.
I always mixed up Kings of Leon and Fountains of Wayne. One is clever, the other is for fuckboys. Neither are a bad thing but I'm not sure I like Kings of Leon much and don't agree with this album's inclusion on this list. Who wrote this, anyways?
Bleh
Alright.
This would be a 5-star band if the vocalist were less annoying and the lyrics were a little less bro-y, double-entendre-y, and sort of gross. The band sounds great, like a more emotional Strokes or a slightly less obnoxious [Kings of Leon as I'd previously heard them, which was solely through that "Sex is on Fire" song that I hated with a fiery passion]. As it is, I found the whole thing a little grating due to the vocals/lyrics. Shame, because the bass, guitar, and drums were all very much my sort of vibe.
This got boring really fast, and for such a short album? Pretty impressive.
I couldn't figure out why this album is on the list and did a little digging. Early 2000's garage rock revival, a reaction to the overproduced 90's music and nu-metal steam rolling over everything else (which is funny since later some those same garage rock bands ended up overproducing their music). Apparently this album is a shift in their "southern-garage" sound towards a more stadion rock (which I dislike) oriented music. Apparently they cleaned out their sound for this one, I wonder how much producers had to do with this, and this also means I'm probably going to look into their older releases later. To me this is quite an insignificant album and musically feels very familiar on first listen, only the vocalists sound is interesting enough that kept me listening.
Pretty generic rock music with really shitty vocals.
Rock-n-roll on cruise control.
Aptly titled dweeb dad rock.
Meh - didn't have any of the big hits that I know
Bland AF
This is my first time listening to a Kings of Leon album start-to-finish. Being more familiar with the bigger hits that came out after this album, I wasn't expecting the rough-around-the-edges production of this. The songs just aren't that great though, and I find the singer's strange diction really off-putting.
Not that good of an album.
So meh. Waste of a spot.
Doesn't moove me in any direction.
I didn't mind the first KOL album when it came out and enjoy the likes of Molly's Chambers fair enough. Also a fan of Use Somebody as much as anyone, decent tunes. But this is the second album and seems to miss those high points. The tedious vocals are confected and grind like hell and the lyrics are pretty cringe. I'm not sure these lads ever got much better than their debut, or maybe they hit their stride afterwards. But either way, this ain't it.
Pretty much without fail, every single track starts and I think "this is pretty good" and then the singer opens his fucking gob and ruins it. I'm trying to imagine a less grating voice singing the lyrics and I can't imagine what that would do the total effect. It has to go down as a 2 star album for me, just because of the vocals. If he was half-decent it would easily be a 3 and maybe even a 4.
Nope that’s it. Drawing a line in the sand. One Kings of Leon album? Okay that’s fine they’re pretty popular. Two Kings of Leon albums? Probably excessive but the debut and the one with hits can be argued. Three Kings of Leon albums?!?!? Far too many. Daily reminder this made the list over anything by Weezer, Daft Punk’s Discovery, Songs for the Deaf, Coltrane’s Giant Steps, anything by Modest Mouse, anything by MF DOOM, Eric B and Rakim’s Paid In Full. I could go on all day. Indie slop (derogatory) The Bucket is an alright song, but the fact that this album ended and I didn’t even notice proves it all the more.
It makes me somewhat nostalgic, but I can't get over the singing. It's grating.
Elevator rock
Can't tolerate the voice for a whole album. Some songs okay but all blends into one long Southern whine.
kinda boring
Bad album
nervige stimme, texte kaum zu verstehen. melodien ok.
Eh nein, danke
Working my way through this ever lasting-list, sometimes it seems the author(s) of this book had to deal with the same struggle, and lost their inspiration. I was quite surprised to learn that Elvis Costello had 6 albums in this list, although some of them are completely justified, I find it harder to digest that a mediocre rock band as the Kings of Leon have three entries. I mean, we're talking about albums you should listen before you die! I'm pretty sure I can pass away without hearing any more of them apart from their annoying hits. This album doesn't add anything of value to this list, and should at least have been replaced with their follow up "Because of the Times", if there was a need for KoL, in particular because of the one outstanding song on that album "Knocked Up". Even so, it isn't, and I'm gonna judge this for what it is, a mediocre southern rock album, with inaudible lyrics because of the singer's shortcomings. 2/5
Didn’t really like this one that much
Ensin aika meh. Sitten Day Old Blues kohdalla alkoi jotkun aivan ihme laulelut ja lopussa oli ihme rääkymistäkin. Sanatkin aika ikävät.
Impressively uninteresting
Can’t say I’ll be coming back to this - the music itself is fine to good and I’m not one to critique singing but this just does not hit with me or generally - not something I’ll be turning on again - but not painful to listen to (except the song day old blues sorry) - probably not deserving of being on this list - somewhere between a 2 and 3
“Slow night, so long, she’s frenching out the flavor/she’s 17 but I done went and plum forgot it.” Rough start! I was enjoying the instrumentation before the vocals came in, too. Man what a tough singing performance to tolerate. This is mean, but sometimes I wondered if he’s actually doing a bit or something. The rest of the music is fine, I guess, but it’s still uninspiring rock songs with melodic ideas that are too weak to survive lyricism and singing.
I have never really been a KoL fan. Maybe it is the voice? Maybe their music sounds generic. My friends like them though.
Eh. There are some nice moments here (I was quite into the opener) but then things regressed back to what I thought this album would be. I’m not sure that I did, in fact, have to listen to this before I died
This is a solid alt rock album that is a good representative of the 2000's era. But ultimately, this album doesn't stand out relative to any others, which is fitting as 2000's alt rock in general just kind of exists, is enjoyable, but won't be more than a footnote of "this happened" in the history of music. 2.5
This album was fine. I imagine they’re fun in concert, but this isn’t an album I’ll reach for again.
boring, average, radio-ready rock with a terrible singer why do people sing badly on purpose im so bored by this i am not using punctuation as it would take too much of my last energy quick give me the next album this is a 2 not the worst ever and im sure someone loves it but i havent the time
Go girl give me nothing
2.5
I know a few of their songs from the singles, but I was never much of a fan. This one won't change that, I don't like that blues tinged sound. Not that all their songs are like that, but even the other ones are ok but just don't do much for me. The singing style grates on me for sure.
Two Kings of Leon albums in a row. I was surprised that I knew some of these songs but still such a snooze fest. Why this album is on this list I have no idea but at least this one maybe had one or two more hits.
COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY.
The music is fine (if slightly boring). What the hell are those vocals?
It was fine. They all can somewhat play instruments. The singer has an interesting voice and delivery at times, although it does get tiring. Overall, not the worst album on the list but far from the top. Very meh.
Literally didn’t even notice it starting or it ending
altogether uneventful
I saw a (professional) review that described this bands previous album as NYU meets lynyrd skynyrd or something to that effect. I, like any red blooded American love lynyrd skynyrd, got excited and listened to said album. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that this professional music writer had obviously never heard lynyrd skynyrd. Double my disappointment when this album sounded exactly like that one. Not a bad listen. Just very uninspiring, and it has no business being on any bucket lists. At least not with a trio of battling guitars.
Ordinär rock med Lynyrd Skynyrd- influenser. Någon gnutta Credence tycker jag mig också höra. Men mest låter det som Foo Fighters. Menlöst. Ingenting som tilltalar mig.
Between 2 and 3. Good southern rock, but nothing too original.
Really annoying vocals.
Kings of Leon are really hit and miss for me, they do have a handful of albums I genuinely do like, but this is one of many that just do nothing for me. They just don't quite seem to be able to consistently capture what they are capable of, and ultimately this ends up coming across as bland and dreary.
What? How many songs do they have called —- on fire? This thing opened on a solid 3/5 but the back half was so weak, borderline terrible. Reviews are saying there used to be three kings of Leon albums on the list??? I like it when J Roddy Walston and the Business do it but even then I wouldn’t put it on the list. Soft and razz might be the worst b2b on the list so far. My wife wants me to give this a 1, but I’m hittin a 2. Day old blues? Terrible.
this shit’s boring
I think I really just don't like Mr. Leon's voice. I have tried to listen to them before and I just couldn't get into it. I like the instrumentation quite a bit, but the whole thing came off as abrasive in a bad way. The album also opens up with lyrics about "she's 17 but i forgot lol" or something like that and it gave off a weird vibe idk.
I feel a bit befuddled as to why this one is on the list... I enjoyed and still enjoy 'Only By the Night' when it first came out, and I consider that to be an album a billion times better than this one. I don't really see why critics like this album so much. It is fine. It is a good rock album. It is nothing revolutionary. I think KOL are a band that are actually served by overproduction on finished products, which seems to be the main difference between this and 'Only By the Night.' I give it a "meh."
Again, sonically, musically, melodically, rhythmically, I really dig these dudes. But goddamn that guy’s voice kills me
King of the Rodeo The Bucket
Maybe I’ve heard enough of their stuff on this list already but I did not care for this.
3 kings of Leon albums is just so fucking ridiculous
Very occasionally I think it would be quite cool to be in the Kings of Leon. Far more frequently I think about how epic it would be to have been the pigeon that shat directly into the singer’s mumbly mouth. All style, little substance.
I think besides the fact that the vocals are... not great these guys' sound just could benefit from having more ENERGY or lighting a fuse under their ass, letting loose just something to make their music so much more exciting than it is on this record where it feels wayyy too restrained for its own good.
(No reflection on the merits of the album. Just doesn’t do it for me.)
Fine. A bit forgettable.
++: Taper Jean Girl, Pistol of Girl, Milk, Razz, Four Kicks, Rememo +: King of the Rodeo, The Bucket, Soft, Day Old Blues +-: Slow Night, So Long, Velvet Snow 5,5/10
No wonder I hadn't listened to this album before, not good... They definitely had a slump on this one.
Favorite: Day Old Blues I like this more than I should for how much I like his voice. I really enjoy the music itself but don't enjoy the vocalist the second I start paying attention. I think it grew on me a little the more I listened but I struggled to understand anything he was singing and it was very nasally. When this guy swears I can't take it seriously.
As this is no longer in the current book, I'd say it was correct to be removed. The singer's voice is annoying, and the music and production are mediocre at best.
instrumental: 8/10 vocals: 6/10 a solid: 6.5/10
It's fiiine, but they're not my little pogchamps. More like average grey faces
the lead singer’s voice is genuinely infuriating. i was busy starting kindergarten in 2004. what the hell was going on. “i can’t get off, soOoO sawwwft”
rockiger country oder landeier-rock? egal, für mich kein highlight, keine entdeckung.
I like how this album is a little more raw than their newer ones, but not liking his voice on this one.
Couple of OK tracks.
okay i know Kings of Leon have a few good songs, but none from this album…this album was not it for me. The vocals, i could not stand it. Lyrics are okay, and everything else was fine.
I can see why this is on the list, but nothing about it really grabbed me. I can also see why Kings of Leon did very well in the UK, the overall sound of this album is reminiscent of English rock. I didn't really hear the southern rock influence that the wiki describes either.
I just had another Kings of Leon album last week, surely they didn't even merit one album on this list, but two? Come on... This one is more of the same. I think Kings of Leon are kind of like Nickelback - they found one sound that masses of people liked and just stuck with that to keep selling records. I mean Nickelback gets a lot of shit but they sell tons of records and I think that applies here as well. I can't really put my finger on why I don't like this - the music isn't bad, the vocals are but not off-puttingly so. It's just...plain. This album is the equivalent of lightly toasted dry white bread. Some people like that because it doesn't challenge you in any way. I did appreciate some of the bass lines and the drums are really well played. I wouldn't ever really listen to this on purpose though. 2/5
They've not aged well. Sounds amateurish in 2025.
Meh.
Nothing special
Another band that was beloved by many that I just can't groove to.
pussy voice destroyed it
Over-rated and forgettable. Outside of this project I've heard of these guys, but never listened to them. Within this project, this is our third album by them. While the other two were not bad, but completely unremarkable, this one is actually bad. The very best this album has to offer is completely watered down imitations of better bands, and tracks like Day Old Blues and Four Kicks are plain annoying.
Not a complete crap.
fuck me it started off good and just fell off a cliff, days old blues is the worst song ive listened to off this list so far
I know some people love this band but I find them very bland and the guys voice is nails on a chalkboard to me. I don't think they're a bad band but i find them painful to listen to.
How did this album make it onto this list? I ask myself this question especially when it's by a band that didn't exactly invent rock ‘n’ roll and that I know has recorded at least two significantly better albums. “Aha Shake Heartbreak” sounds as if someone had deleted Angus Young's tracks from AC/DC's Powerage. I mean, I like it when the guitars leave enough space for the bass, but here the sound sometimes falls apart. That really shouldn't be the case with a 21st-century production. It sounds like a talented high school band with an above-average singer—which isn't too far from the truth, and you can't blame Kings of Leon for that. But I'd really like to know what was going through the editor's mind.
It's Kings of Leon, they had that one good song that was used to advertise around 40% of all products world wide until we all hated it.
Boring but had some cool guitar moments
you did nothing wrong but frankly you did nothing right. i don't know that i enjoyed much.
Unfortunately not for me. Good bluesy guitar notes but the voice got annoying after a bit.
Really disliked this one. They have one decent song and it wasn’t even on this album. The whole was a blend of garbage lyrics and pretty ok musicians
not suuuper impressed. would’ve liked the album more if i actually liked the sound of Caleb’s voice, but once i dislike the lead singer’s voice i can’t unhear it (especially in “soft”, yikes). the rest of the band is alright but not super memorable. favorite song: four kicks (exclusively for the guitar)
they are fine musicians and song writers but for me - meh.
Did they forget to write endings to these songs
In a very specific way, this bothers me more than Napalm Death. Then again, it doesn't hurt to listen to it.
nah.. couldn't figure out what they are trying to be... Christian rock? Rock? Either way...nope
Lead singer’s voice was terrible
I suspect I am not unlike many boomers who grew up in a musical era where the diversity of the music, and the quality of the artists, was so extraordinary. We had rock, hard rock, heavy metal, Motown, soul, folk, blues, southern rock, garage....it's been a challenge to find in today's era worthy successors to the musical artists of our youth. This band is tolerable, not great, but the music is listenable at least.
If one of the most interesting things about your record, such that it makes the first para of the wikipedia page, is that it uniquely has a parental advisory sticker, it may be that your record is not very interesting. There should be a setting to skip the dropped-in-later-editions items.
36/1001 Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ❎ At the time, I listened to this album on the strength of The Bucket and Four Kicks, but quickly lost interest in the band after. On this listen, the mumbling vocals with the bluesy-country-garage rock does absolutely nothing for me and at the end of the day, they all feel the same.
Naw dog
I bet their dads loved George Thorogood.
I went through a Kings of Leon, Young the Giant phase between 2008-2015…sort of following on from Black Crows/Counting Crows a decade earlier. This album is on brand. Less polished and “smaller” sounding than Only the Night which I think is the better album. The vocals are annoying in spots (Day Old Blues) and the album sort of becomes boring and melts into the background as it goes. 2/5
Sorry a bit on the boring side!
Boring
Monotonous songs and the singer's voice is absolutely dreadful. Not entirely unlistenable, though.
I liked the first album that was in the list better, which I listened to about 2 weeks ago. The singer just seemed to be making up a lot of the words. I still don't know why we needed TWO of the Kings Of Leon albums in the list. The first one had a lot of different styles to it, this one felt very same-y. NEXT.
Uh, no.
2-3 enjoyed the rock
Faded into the background
It's a Kings Of Leon album, and it doesn't have "Use Somebody", or "Sex On Fire" on it. I found out it's hard to like these kings aside from their big hits(this really is a "No Kings" Summer). Favorite Track: "Rememo".
This isn’t for me - 2/5 Vocals are grating, idk if they were revolutionary at the time and I don’t care if they were. Standout track: - Soft 2.5/5
This precedes all the Kings of Leon songs I've actually heard before by two albums. I'm dubious, especially since the songs I'm familiar with fall on my husband's side of our music taste Venn diagram, but okay. Oh. This is worse than I thought it would be going in. Why? Why was this deemed a necessity to hear?
another boring ass kings of leon album
3/10 not good, this. Fairly competent if derivative music, terrible vocals. Can’t get past that. Baffling these guys hit ir big and staggering that they are 2/1000 albums I must hear. Best: Taper Jean Girl
Very interesting to hear the King of Leon because they got pretty over-produced (in my opinion). It reminds me kind of like, The Doors, in their stripped down and almost frantic style, but slightly updated for the times. Not sure I would ever go back to it, nor did anything really stand out. I don’t think this necessarily put me in the camp of being a fan of KoL, but I am more interested in their musical journey now
Did we really need this Kings of Leon album? It feels really disappointing after already listening to Only By Night. None of their big hits are on here. His voice is extra whiny. There are only a few melodies that I actually enjoyed. At least it was short.
2 sterne
Fine but nothing jumped out at me. Better than Dirty Projectors though...
It's a rough, raw and pretty concise album. They're pretty fun, and a couple of songs are kinda melancholic, but overall it's a nice garage rock record. Instrumentally they're pretty average for the genre, the arrangements are nice, but the biggest highlight for me was Caleb Followill's singing. His delivery is super raw and he breathes life into most tracks, although he could use a bit of polishing in that department. The best songs for me were "Milk", "Day Old Blues" and "Soft" (which is pretty funny too).
Never have understood the popularity of this band, the vocals sound like they are being sung by the “Oh Long Johnson” cat
The droning!
How did they make it so big? It's not like they are terrible but it's not very original, not a very interesting sound, not particularly good vocals or guitar play, not very unique (except maybe his voice, but unique like, when someone says you've done something unique because they don't want to insult you)
Oh, this one is so boring! I like some things from Kings of Leon, but this album is so background your brain ignores it completely. 2⭐️
Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004) Score: 3.5/10 Favorite Track: “The Bucket” This album should have been way better. The songs work on paper, the production sounds clean and full of texture, but the execution misses the mark. The biggest problem is the vocals. Caleb Followill’s voice is so grating that it turns decent ideas into something genuinely hard to sit through. It is not just a stylistic choice that did not land. It actively pulls the whole record down. What keeps this from landing in the bottom tier is the production. The guitars are crisp, the drums hit with purpose, and the rhythm section holds things together well enough. “The Bucket” stands out as the one track where everything connects. But overall, it feels like strong production trapped under a voice that never lets the music breathe. It was a struggle to finish.
The music is maybe a bit above average, but nothing special. Who thought having this guy be the vocalist was a good idea? Is he trying a fake accent or just intentionally mumbling everything? I had to pull up the lyrics to understand what he's singing. They also need a new songwriter.
This album has a different sound than “Only by Night,” which I reviewed earlier. But it’s still mid, at best. Very repetitive, within its own sound. This album may be more misogynistic than that other album — I can’t remember (which says something). I’m sure there are great albums (5s) with lyrics that are even *more* demeaning, but the lack of nuance in the repetitive delivery of the not-so-good vocalist renders these offensive lyrics really just offensive. I’m annoyed that KoL has two albums in this list. I did not *need* to hear this or the previous album. This is a 2.
These guys STINK And this is their best work
I'm sorry, I'm not a fan. I don't believe there should be a second Kings of Leon album on this list. Again, they are good at their instruments. Solid album, but I just don't vibe with their style. It isn't for me, but it doesn't have to be. They are successful for a reason. This album was going to get a 3, but track 9 dropped it to a 2.
I tried to like this. The band is pretty much fine, but I cannot get past ol' boy's voice. It's so squeaky and sounds painful.
Millennial music that I couldn't really get into
Kind of a frustrating album. It becomes somewhat listenable about half way through but even then, the unintelligibleness of the lyrics and horrendous garage band vocals pulled me out of nearly every song. It’s almost comical how bad it gets at some points. For me the only thing keeping this from being a 1 is the instrumentals. They aren’t without critique, but it is maybe the only redeeming aspect of this album. The Bucket, Rememo and Four Kicks are standouts.
2.5
Not a huge fan. They are an Ok popish indie mainstream country with good musicians but nothing put of this world. Just good easy going tunes to relax and have as a background. All sound alike but are likable
No more, please!
Decent rhythm section but hard to get past the astoundingly horrible vocals
I have to admit I actually like some of Kings of Leon’s radio singles, and I’ve enjoyed one or two of their newer records. This album, however, feels like a group desperately trying to find a style that works for them, but not quite ever getting it right. The vocals are far less powerful than I’ve come to expect from this band, and I found them almost grating. Musically it’s.. not terrible, seemingly well produced anyways, but it’s still a little all over the place. I’m glad that they stuck it out and put out some better music later on, but this one is a bit of a snoozer. 2*
Of the dozens of albums in the first ~200 that have made me go "ugh, unfortunate that that will be in my algorithm", this album gets the distinction of being the one that actually made me seek out and find a way to rig up an incognito listening session in Apple Music. So congrats to the Kings of Leon for that. I have little else to say about this album. It's not bad enough to warrant a 1 star rating but it's very boring. There were maybe 5 minutes of this record that were better than the rest? Maybe "Milk"? I dunno. I'm glad that as a society we have moved past pretending these guys are anything special. Except the compiler of this list apparently.
Not as bad as I feared, not as good as everyone made it out to be. At least it didn’t have “Sex is on Fire” song. Properly 2.5, but I wouldn’t revisit this.
Thoughts before listening: Ah yes, back when Kings of Leon were actually pretty good. The hype around them at this time is that they were the southern rock Strokes. Its been a while since I've listened to this album, but I've definitely told people before that "current KOL sucks, but I really liked their first couple albums". Guess we'll see if that's still true. Review: So there's more of a bluesy swagger to KOL's sound than the Strokes (is that the southern influence?), but I can definitely hear the similarities in their sound. This is just okay. I thought I'd have more of a strong nostalgic reaction, but I barely recognize these songs. Maybe I was more into their first album 🤷. Nothing here is really grabbing me, and everything just feels so repetitive. The vocals are also pretty one note. Overall I'd say I was expecting to like this more, but I am not enjoying myself. 2-stars
They got the vibe, but not much else.
I feel like the jester of leon listening to this.
remember that time a buncha pigeons shit all over these guys at a concert? good times.
2 1/2 stars. Has that Strokes wannabe feel. Wasn’t unlistenable but not ground breaking in any way
Boring 00's alt rock. Why in the world does Kings of Leon have multiple albums on this list?
fussy yet forgettable
Flashee que era Of Monsters and Men y terminé decepcionado. Qué se yo me re aburrí. 2.3
Blind album know the artist unfortunately. So this album didn't wanna make me rip my ears off and stuff them, but it still wasn't good. This band got a 2 star streak with me as of now.
wet blanket
Meh